


Birth of a Universe

by Nattlys



Category: Guardians of Childhood & Related Fandoms, Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Multi, Other, personal timeline headcanons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2018-12-03 04:57:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11525016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nattlys/pseuds/Nattlys
Summary: A quick and rough timeline of events, blending together pre-novels, Guardians of Childhood, and Rise of the Guardians. -- Now includes more headcanons about biology and science in the Golden Age, as well as some culture stuff! Hooray! This is not so much a fanfiction as it is a place for me to conglomerate ideas, family lines, and research for a potential series way off in the future.





	1. Timeline

**Author's Note:**

> A very very rough timeline regarding my interpretation of pre-novels, the Guardians of Childhood novels, the Storybooks, and the Rise of the Guardians movie, working on a ~14 billion year scale by human perception (keep in mind however that the Constellans and Pookans have their own scales, as do presumably any other sentient races involved, and the “14 billion years” is based on scientific estimate).
> 
> All of the summary quotes are provided by the esteemed DOUGLAS ADAMS.
> 
> Now being updated with more things! Hooray! We all love things, right?

**BIRTH OF A UNIVERSE: The Primordial Age, 14 Billion Years ago**

  * In the wake of the Big Bang, LIGHT and DARK manifest, intertwined. The Universe rapidly expands outwards around them, eventually spawning TIME and SPACE. Despite these concepts having names, they remain indistinct and unaware, both of themselves and of each other.
  * DARK is the first to ‘awaken’, coalescing into an unstable form that promptly collapses again. They continue their attempts several times before managing to retain consciousness (though mostly immaterial and incredibly disjointed.)
  * LIGHT is slower to awaken, but upon viewing Dark’s multiple attempts creates a singular, solid mass to represent themself. Dark promptly shatters this organized mass, and SPACE gets mixed up with them in the process, causing parts of both celestial concepts to go spiraling wildly about and flinging who-knows-what, who-knows-where.
  * TIME is the last to awaken, and they decide very quickly that their “siblings” are complete idiots. They straighten things out again, and convince Space to cooperate. Light and Dark end up coiling around each other in brand new forms, mostly to sulk.



_“In the beginning the Universe was created._

_This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”_

_\-- The Restaurant at the End of the Universe_

**CREATION AND NEW BEGINNINGS: The Expansion Age, 11 Billion Years ago**

  * **T** he pieces of Light and Dark that got flung across all four corners of the expanding universe collapse in on themselves-- forming massive clouds of gas and matter. Time, sick of the two of them sulking, sends them off to clean up their mess.
  * Instead of cleaning, they just make an even bigger mess: STARS and BLACK HOLES, in a petty attempt to one up each other.
  * Space and Time sigh collectively, but Space is fond of both creations and adds their own: LIFE and DEATH.
  * Time has enough of these shenanigans and retreats to the center of the Universe, from which point on becomes their main base of operations known as the ORIGIN. With a bit of persuasion, however, they convince Space and Life to assist them in designing the perfect servants to aid them in time-keeping: the POOKA.
  * The Pooka regard Time and their siblings not as Deities but rather as leaders. They separate themselves into five clans: RABBIT, HORSE, BIRD, FISH, and WOLF. The Rabbit clan remains the most loyal to Time, while Horse aligns itself with Dark, Bird with Space, Fish with Light, and Wolf with Life and Death. This in turn influences the Concepts-- again they discard their original forms to take new shapes crafted by the BELIEF of the Pookan Clans, except for Dark, who remains in their primordial state.
  * Light further refines the Stars, forming the first of the STARLINGS, or beings born of immense energy and potential. Dark, once again jealous that their sibling is no longer paying attention to them, destroys one of the Starlings, forming the first DREAM PIRATE, who represents chaos and entropy.
  * The two are quick to reconcile and retreat back to the Origin, where they once again remain entangled to intermittently grumble at one another.



_“There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.”_

_\-- The Restaurant at the End of the Universe_

**DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY: The Bronze Age, 9.5 Billion Years Ago**

  * Space and Life begin experimentation on the newly formed SOLAR SYSTEMS, which have gathered around Light’s Stars (and on occasion some of Dark’s Black Holes). Life shapes life (with a lowercase L) and Death takes care to prune things in Space’s garden to prevent the balance from being overthrown.
  * Because Light and Dark were the only ones involved in the creation of the Starlings and the Dream Pirates, they are in turn the only ones who can touch them-- but the Pooka are not exempt from Death’s gentle graces. The oldest members of the five clans begin to experience death (with a lowercase D). In turn, Life reveals the secret of life to the Pookan Clans in the form of EGGS. With the oldest members, who had known the Concepts personally, now historical figures, the Clans get a little mixed up and devote themselves to life (with a lowercase L) and the Egg.
  * Estranged from the Concepts, the Bird and Wolf Clans begin to separate and intermingle with other beings in Space’s garden. A majority of the Bird Clan settles in the Corvus, Aquila, and Cygnus Constellations. Wolf Clan is drawn to the Lupus Constellation, though eventually they split in three and terraform the Canis Constellations (Canis Major and Canis Minor). These fractured Clans take the names of their Constellations and in time no longer address themselves as Pooka.
  * The Fish Clan is scattered but adopted by the Starlings, to where it becomes impossible to tell who’s a Starling and who’s a member of the Fish Clan. Apparently they like it that way. Light is thrilled and takes a new (vaguely masculine) form, masquerading himself as a Starling among them and taking the name AGIO FOS.
  * Dark absorbs the Horse Clan, who returned to their maternal figure, and from them ‘she’ forms more Dream Pirates as well as a new creation: the NIGHTMARE MEN. Despite their name, they are painfully shy and largely peaceful, and prefer to linger in the places Dark has touched. They come to be known as the DARKLINGS.
  * To guide and protect her creations, Dark breaks off an aspect of herself and forms a new Concept: DREAD.
  * As the only “Pookan” Clan left, the Rabbit Clan renames themselves the Pookan Brotherhood, despite largely being run and overseen by the dams of the Clan. Ladies never catch a break, really.
  * Time remains eternal and sick of everyone’s nonsense.



_“A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.”_

_\-- Mostly Harmless_

**GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY, IT’S ALL GONE TO HELL: The Silver Age, 6.8 Billion Years Ago**

  * Life, not satisfied with their works and finally over their disappointment in the Pookan Clans, creates their “masterpiece”: the CONSTELLANS. The Constellans are formed entirely by Life alone, and as such are regarded by the rest of the cosmos as egotistical, spoiled brats. The Constellans, in turn, do absolutely nothing to disprove this.
  * Literally, they’re all spoiled babies. They’re also very, very good at a few specific things: sex and fighting. Oh, and magic.
  * Alright hang onto your underwear because this is where stuff gets GOOD: the Constellans rapidly settle among the Constellations, primarily in what come to be known as the GREAT ZODIAC CONSTELLATIONS: ARIES, TAURUS, GEMINI, CANCER, LEO, VIRGO, LIBRA, SCORPIO, SAGITTARIUS, CAPRICORN, AQUARIUS, and PISCES. 
  * The Pookan Brotherhood think this is selfish and ridiculous and tells them so. Can’t they simply be satisfied with maybe six constellations? Eight at the most? No? Scrambled eggs, they’re insufferable.
  * Dread and his family are provoked out of hiding by the ever-curious Starlings. Dread, who has since renamed himself PROTO, meets Agio Fos. Proto and Agio Fos are immensely weirded out by each other, but true to tradition, bond immediately after destroying a lot of things and spend some odd couple of centuries wrapped around each other, complaining.
  * The Starlings take great fun in being uncontrollable, throwing wild galaxy-spanning parties, and basically just being A Mess. At some point they realize the Constellans have the right idea about sex and also, wow, alcohol is fantastic, so let’s repay them by inviting some of their loveliest members along!
  * Too bad for the Constellans that their brains are literally too weak to comprehend the entirety of unrestrained Starlings. Oops.
  * Agio Fos is lured away and captured by DR. IO LUNANOFF. Bad things happen. The CORDYCEPS LUX strain is created and eventually initiated by DR. AMELIE PITCHINER, a member of the Canis Major family.
  * Proto, immensely distressed and at a loss, turns to his Mother. Unsure of how to placate her son, she breaks off another aspect of herself to take up the mantle of Proto’s companion: PANIC, who Proto renames as PIKI. Piki comes to take a form reminiscent of the residents of the Corvus Constellation.
  * However, the Starlings are not placated and turn as one great force against the Constellans, poisoning minds, destroying star systems, and eventually siccing their cousins, the Dream Pirates, on the Constellans in revenge.
  * Constellans infected or possessed by the Starlings, and to a lesser number the Darklings, come to be known as FEARLINGS.
  * THUS THE FIRST FEARLING WAR COMES TO PASS.
  * NIGHTLIGHT becomes the deciding factor that leads to the Constellan victory under the command of the newly crowned TSAR LUNANOFF I.
  * The Darklings take the blame for both the madness caused by the Starlings and for the War, leaving them both as the losers and the victims.



_“A learning experience is one of those things that says, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.”_

_\-- The Salmon of Doubt_

**REJOYCE! (Haha, get it? Re-Joyce?): The Golden Age, 3.7 Billion Years Ago**

  * The Lunanoff Family reigns over the Constellans, leading to an uneasy peace between the races of the Golden Age-- all but the Darklings, that is, who though significantly weakened have turned bitter at the cruelty of their cousins. Here and there a Starling winks out, but no one thinks much of it; they’re known to sleep for millennia, given the chance.
  * The Pookan Brotherhood, disgusted by the Fearling War, become isolationists; no longer keen to share their discoveries, their arts, and their creations after seeing their great works used to cause so much destruction.
  * The GOLDEN ARMY is formed under TSAR LUNANOFF II.
  * There’s a lot of family tree shenanigans with the Lunanoffs, honestly.
  * The LUNAR LAMAS (and their splintered faction known as the Stellanites) are formed.
  * The Constellans become separated into the UPPER HOUSES and the LOWER HOUSES by class. 
  * Corruption is rife from TSAR LUNANOFF VI’s reign until TSAR LUNANOFF IX takes over the throne for his ailing brother.
  * Under the direction of Tsar Taygete, construction on the MOON CLIPPER begins.
  * Unfortunately, the growing unrest as result of the corruption and mistreatment under the former Tsars begins to come to a head as well, leading to bolder and more frequent attacks by the Darklings. The Golden Army undergoes intense training to learn how to combat the Fearlings using magic and strategy.
  * Dark breaks herself into her two remaining aspects: WRATH and FEAR. Wrath becomes known as COSSIMO; Proto withholds Fear, sheltering the aspect within himself to keep it secret from the enraged Constellans.
  * The SECOND FEARLING WAR is declared when TSARITSA AOEDE LUNANOFF’S youngest sisters, Arche and Sinope and her mother (Tsar Taygete’s first wife), TSARINA ERINOME, are killed in a Fearling attack.
  * KOZMOTIS PITCHINER is born during the reign of TSAR LUNANOFF X. By the end of Tsar Kale’s time on the Throne, Kozmotis has taken up the title of the GOLDEN GENERAL. He has also married ULLORIAQ of Canis Minor, making her LADY PITCHINER. Together they have EMILY-JANE PITCHINER.
  * EJ Pitchiner escapes the Dream Pirate attack on her home and flees, coming to stay with the Titan Typhan; eventually her rage boils over and she turns into a faux-Star in her grief and anger. SANDERSON MANSNOOZIE, a Starling, connects with her, and gives her the name SERAPHINA in order to keep her safe from prying Darklings.
  * Tsar Kale also sees the end of the Construction on the Moon Clipper, and the Lunanoff Family moves to live full-time on the small planetoid-turned-ship.
  * TSAR LUNANOFF XI marries GALATEA PISCES, and together they have TSAREVICH LUNAR ARTEMIS LUNANOFF, affectionately nicknamed the little Man in the Moon-- or MiM, for short.
  * Proto, Piki, and Cossimo, as well as their family, are caught and restrained in the PRISON PLANET by General Pitchiner.
  * EDMUND ASTER BUNNYMUND, of the Pookan Brotherhood, graduates from the Pookan Academy and is granted the honor of terraforming a new planet. As creative as Pooka always are, he names this ball of dirt-and-water EARTH. The Brotherhood enthusiastically approves and ships him out immediately. One has to wonder if they just wanted the gangly kit out of their ears.
  * Kozmotis, falling prey to guilt over his daughter and his desperation for family and understanding, opens the Door to the Prison-- and absorbs the aspect of Fear, becoming PITCH BLACK. Cossimo takes the name ‘Pitchiner’ out of spite.
  * The Lunanoffs flee the remains of the Golden Age with as many survivors as the Moon Clipper can carry, and end up ensnared in a newly formed Earth’s gravitational pull.



_“To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it.”_

_\-- The Restaurant at the End of the Universe_

**THIS PLANET IS NAMED FOR DIRT: The Earthen Age, 3.2 Billion Years Ago**

  * The Lunanoffs, desperate, send most of the survivors and their staff down to Earth in an attempt to keep Pitch Black from managing to reach them.
  * Sandy and Seraphina were also ensnared in Earth’s gravity and go crashing down into the planet, disrupting Bunnymund’s terraforming. Seraphina immediately takes over, and Bunnymund doesn’t really put up much of a fuss about it-- what happens to the survivors from the Moon Clipper is unknown, but what is left of the ATLANTEANS and their culture is remarkable similar to the Constellans...
  * The remains of Sanderson’s ship become the ISLE OF SLEEPY SANDS.
  * Nightlight and Pitch clash, destroying the Moon Clipper. The Spectral Knight explodes with the force of a nuclear blast-- MiM is only safe because he has been hidden away in the former core of the planetoid.
  * Pitch, immobilized by Nightlight’s dagger impaled in his heart, is thrown down to the planet and both he and the boy remain comatose.
  * Proto sinks to the bottom of the ocean to sleep beneath Sandy’s island... and the Atlanteans call this forbidden area R’LYEH.
  * ATLANTIS is built. 
  * Dinosaurs were also a thing for a while, probably?
  * HECK yeah, Seraphina riding a dinosaur.
  * Lunar goes through a Goth Phase where he wears only very, very dark shades of blue.
  * Anyway.



_“Don’t Panic.”_

_\-- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_

**RISE OF THE GUARDIANS: 400′s BCE to Present Day**

  * Atlantis is sunk at some point in the late 300′s BCE, perhaps even in the early 400′s. Seraphina might have been involved. Maybe. Do you really want to find out if she was involved?
  * Pitchiner and Piki watch these funny little ‘humans’ grow and have a fabulous time playing gods to several ancient cultures. Unsurprisingly, they both agree that the ancient Mediterranean was the best, though if hard-pressed Pitchiner will admit a fondness for the Aztecs and Mayans, and Piki a fascination with China.
  * (Pitch does not directly experience the Dark Ages, exactly-- but Piki would often stay with him while he slept, and shared his experiences with him through dreams. Pitchiner was more preoccupied by the dimming child sleeping on Pitch’s chest.)
  * The Sisters of Flight, descendants of the Aquila and Cygnus Constellations, settle in Southeast Asia, having previously been largely nomadic-- though a small sect of them settled in South America as well.
  * TOOTHIANA is born in early 1400, somewhere close to Tibet in Northern India. Rashmi, her mother, and Haroom, her father, are killed by the Monkey King around 1440. Toothiana swears her revenge.
  * NICHOLAS ST NORTH is born in February, 1623. He is abandoned in the woods two weeks later and mistaken for a bear cub. At the age of five, he is found by the Cossacks. By the time North turns 19, he is second in command-- and at 27, the BANDIT KING.
  * KATHERINE is born in 1639. OMBRIC adopts her in early 1640.
  * Nightlight is shocked awake by MOONBEAM, freeing Pitch, in 1651.
  * North comes to SANTOFF CLAUSSEN in 1652, age 29. (Katherine is 13.)
  * Bunnymund comes to join them in 1658, followed by Toothiana in 1673 and Sandy in 1686.
  * The FINAL BATTLE FOR THE MOON CLIPPER goes down in 1698-- the same year that JACKSON OVERLAND is born. Nightlight is impaled by Pitch, forcing his ‘heart’ to hide inside of Jackson while his body remains on the Moon Clipper. Pitch is defeated and sent back to Earth by the other Guardians, waking Proto.
  * Jackson Overland falls through the ice after saving his sister, MARY EMMELINE OVERLAND, in late November, 1711.
  * JACK FROST awakens just before midnight on January 6th, 1712.
  * Nightlight awakens just after midnight, January 7th. Lunar collapses after overexerting himself and remains in a frail state until the late 1800′s.
  * JAMIE BENNETT is born August 24th, 2004. SOPHIE BENNETT is born May 3rd, 2009.
  * RISE OF THE GUARDIANS takes place early April 2012.



_“So long, and thanks for all the fish.”_

_\-- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_


	2. A Matter of Personal Identity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LGBTQIA+ in the Golden Age.

Starlings (of which the Star Pilots are a division) have no ‘true’ biological gender (or I suppose you could say they’re an agender species?) as their physical forms are shaped entirely by how they perceive themselves. It’s not uncommon for a Starling to feel “masculine” by Constellan standards, only to shift to feel more “feminine” a while later, or for a Starling to rest somewhere between on the spectrum. Pronouns and gendered language does not exist in the pidgin language used to communicate with other species, so the few who integrate themselves more into other societies typically use ambiguous pronouns or use masculine and feminine pronouns interchangeably. Starlings do not reproduce through sex, and for the most part romance, passion, obsession, it’s all just a whatever kind of free-for-all some other species see as ridiculous or immoral. 

The Pookan Clans and their offshoot cousins Canis and Lupus recognized three distinct genders: a “masculine”, a “feminine”, and “infertile”. (Infertile being a catch-all term for those deemed ‘undesirable’ for procreation.) While coupling and building families within Clans was allowed for any mixture (m/m, m/f, m/i, f/f, f/i, i/i), there was an emphasis on breeding, prestige, and healthy potential offspring due to their beliefs, so a romantically bonded couple may end up rearing kits that are not necessarily theirs by blood– for instance, a bonded infertile and female pair finding an unbonded male for the female to conceive with, and the bonded couple rearing the kits while the sire either contributes or leaves; a bonded infertile pair adopting kits who have been abandoned by their dam/adopting kits in the case of a dam being unable to provide for all of them. Female Pooka are the largest members of the species. It was acceptable for either male or female Pooka to transition into being infertile, but not for an infertile Pooka to attempt to become male or female, or for either to become the other. (Canis Clans were more relaxed with this, while Lupus Clans did not allow transitioning of any kind.) Coupling outside of your species– or even outside of your own Clan– was discouraged across the board. Bonded couples are expected to remain together until one partner passes. In cases where one partner has bonded with someone outside of their Clan, they will join whichever Clan is smaller in order to provide another able set of hands.

The ‘Constellan People’ is a catch-all term for many interrelated sub-species of the original primary species, as when they spread through the galaxy they specialized to their new homes. However, Constellans are all generally linked by a few recognizable features: humanoid, largely furless, strong affinity for elemental magics, and a tendency to declare war for frivolous reasons. The Twelve Noble Houses of the Zodiac are all comprised solely of Constellan sub-species families, while some of the Lower Houses are half, or only partially Constellan. While not generally as strict as Pookan society or as free-wheeling as the Starlings, bisexuality was the norm– though lesbian relationships were seen as more acceptable than gay relationships. The Constellans were tentatively accepting of transgender people towards the end of the Golden Age, though asexual people were treated as a quiet oddity. Intersex individuals among the Noble Houses are not well documented, but it is believed that due to the high rates of interbreeding, cross-species relationships, and genetic manipulation, intersex people were not as uncommon as some would like to believe.

The Darklings, much like their counterparts the Starlings, do not reproduce sexually. However, they are far less influenced by Constellan culture and therefore all tend towards androgynous or indistinct presentation. Fearlings and Nightmares retain some semblance of their former selves, which influences their personalities and preferences. Dream Pirates shift fluidly. Nochspeech, or the common language of the Darklings, is similar to the Earth language Turkish in their use of a singular pronoun.


	3. The Constellans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief overview of the Constellan views on genetics and body modifications, among other things.

The fact that the Constellans are so overwhelmingly adaptable and young compared to the other major factions of the Golden Age, not to mention by sheer numbers the largest, is like… Most of it all comes back to the Silver Age, and how they grasped the idea of DNA and genetics very early on with a bit of a running start handed to them by the personification of Life, and how there’s a very large culture of body modification– sometimes going so far as to make themselves visually mimic the Pookan or Pookan-related species (animalistic features such as claws, scales, feathers), or taking bits and pieces from Starling culture (the bioluminescence, the soft features with wide-spread eyes and short statures, etc). And then you add in the possibilities of cybernetics and working not just with biological material but mechanical and technological, because unlike the Pookan Clans the Constellans are very keen on advancement through any means necessary.

So they learn how to replicate Starling magic through technology and then push it further and you get the Golden Army, weaponized supersoldiers backed up with cocktails of bioenhancers, chemstims, body modifications with the sheer purpose of being better, faster, stronger, elite.

Each of the Noble Houses of the Constellations specialized themselves– Pisces-affiliated shaping themselves into mer-folk as they command and control entire systems of planets with no dry land, only water; Librans growing stockier, with expanded lung systems and unrelenting muscles with their focus on mining, forging, glassmaking, metalworking; Gemini families and extra limbs, extra eyes for faster data input until they’re literally nothing BUT eyes and limbs.

So comes the point where you are Constellan if you say you are Constellan– you have you identification because you have always been Constellan, your family is Constellan, you live on a Constellan planet in a Constellan system. Species that were never Constellan to begin with being conquered, assimilated, or just lost in the mix and absorbed without a struggle, their genetic information being picked apart for the best, the brightest, the most important parts.

All headed by Dr., soon to be Tsar, Io Lunanoff, backed up by his assistant Dr. Amelie Pitchiner, encouraged by a culture already founded on these basics.

Lunanoff family lines aren’t about purity, they’re about what traits give us the upper hand, what will amplify our power, what will make us the most beautiful. 

(Keeping this in mind it’s no wonder there’s this terrible image of these ethereal, unbelievably gifted and incredibly unstable creatures called ‘vampires’ by Earth-folks– that fractured instinctual memory of these unfathomable nobles who fed on magic and power like leeches feed on blood, sucking anyone they touched dry to elevate themselves.)

Kale and Aoede were the first Lunovian couple to wed for love and not genetics, and they had Sao. Sao who was called “the Lunatic Tsar”, who married for love as well, who was pale to the point of anemic, who tried to drown himself on multiple occasions, who couldn’t manage to even do light drills with the Golden Army for long periods without fainting. And Sao and Galatea, through no fault of their own, were simply so genetically incompatible despite being, in concept, the same species, that MiM would not have been conceived without Pookan interference. 

Artemis– or Manny if you prefer– is the culmination of dozens of generations of unconstrained genetic manipulation gone absolutely haywire.

And he’s been isolated on a disabled ship for over two million years.

And he has anxiety.


	4. The Pooka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief look at the Pookan Brotherhood, and Pookan family structure.

The basics of how we understand genetics comes from the Punnett Square. A quick and simple explanation is “this is a chart that shows what crossing two plants will make”, and that’s gonna kind of be our jumping off point here.

There’s really not too much more to say about family building in the Clans as I’ve largely covered that here. The main focus of a bonding is offspring to further the Clan, with the health of the offspring being placed over patterning or other attributes. All Pookan kits are taught the Punnett Square (though not by that name) from a young age, as most Clans revolve around animal husbandry, botany, and community management.

Each Clan is made of several smaller family lines, with the largest recognized Clan (the Ashbands) having close to 40 distinct families to the smallest (the Tavendirs) having only six distinct families, but considering that a Pookan family is typically an expanded “warren” household with multiple generations living together (four to five generations of descendants– each breeding pair having several clutches of kits, and each healthy clutch can be anywhere from four to twelve eggs) while the Clans are private, they are not by any means particularly small.

Often times a Clan can colonize, support, and maintain an entire solar system on their own after enough time in one place. In some cases, a Clan will get so large on one planet (and it’s moons) that it will be seen as wiser for some of the families to split away and make their own way, in which case they will depart for another, though still nearby planet. Sometimes this results in a new Clan forming.

All Clans must be registered with the Brotherhood, which is made of the eighteen “original” (according to Pookan folklore) Pookan clans:

-Clan Bunnymund, the First  
-Clan Branchbrindle, the Fleet  
-Clan Yewcall, the Brave  
-Clan Rockcoil, the Wise  
-Clan Ashband, the Clever  
-Clan Mayrend, the Stalwart  
-Clan Cloudtender, the Farseeing  
-Clan Gulchtie, the Noble  
-Clan Peatdish, the Trustworthy  
-Clan Tearmender, the Compassionate  
-Clan Caverndrop, the Loyal  
-Clan Lochender, the Forgiving  
-Clan Evesend, the Yielding  
-Clan Dawnbreak, the Just  
-Clan Alpwinder, the Tall  
-Clan Leafbyrd, the Capable  
-Clan Ichorpress, the Painted  
-and Clan Underhill, the Last

Each of these Clans have distinct heraldic colors and symbols, and these can be used to trace family lines back (supposedly) to the beginning of Time, as divergent Clans retain their parent Clan’s iconography while adding their own.

Clans are headed by bonded couples who have been voted on by their family community. Only bonded couples may hold the position, and if the couple is separated or otherwise unable to serve, a new vote is had to determine the new representatives.


	5. Starlings, Star Pilots, and Related

For a Star to “bud” and then “hatch” a fully-formed Starling, very specific conditions only the Stars themselves truly understand must be met. The last time such conditions were achieved was in the reign of Tsar Kale (Lunanoff X)– the star Vindemiatrix giving way for Star Pilot Virisi. 

During and after Pitch Black’s rampage, it became near-impossible for the conditions to be met, and Sanderson Mansnoozie is presumed to be the last of his kind, if not the only Pilot still sane and serving. (Sandy himself was hatched before the start of the Golden Age, and was among the first of the truly organized Union of Star Pilots).

Starlings are generally named for the stars they come from, i.e. Gloria for the star Gatrina, Sanderson for the star Sceptrum (and later Seraphina, Emily Jane’s new assumed name used so that other Star Pilots would not ask too many questions). 

Last names are a formality and only truly began to be adopted as Star Pilots in particular tried to integrate with the Empire. Typically, a mentor shared their last name with their students to show their connection. Mentors could have many students, though they typically only taught one or two at a time. Students could become mentors after a graduating ceremony, where they prove they have learned how to care for and protect their stars, or have become proficient in other skills, such as healing, dreamweaving, or illusions. Other more physical skills such as cooking and art also appreciated, but not as highly regarded-- Personal skills and hobbies were left to be explored on their own terms. It became more and more ommon for Starlings to take an apprenticeship under other species towards the end of the Golden Age, although nearly always in the artistic pursuits...

Additionally, mentors and students often shared melodies, songs, and lullabies, passing them on to each generation. Nightlight’s lullaby has roots with the Starlings, who he often sang and played with when they visited the Lunanoffs. A vow of silence such as Sandy upholds can only really be maintained because there are (as far as he is aware) no other Pilots with whom he can sing with. Song is the main form of audible communication, whether through vocalization or vibration.

Star “Pidgin” is the meld between this sung-and-hummed language and Common Constellation. Pilots often took great amusement in listening to officials of the Empire or soldiers in the Golden Army attempt to replicate their speech.

A Starling grows more powerful the longer they live, but they are limited to the strength of their stars. M-class Stars are common but not especially powerful, etc. Refer to the chart below for a better overview of classifications. It is important to note, however, that the Starlings and related sub-species did not separate themselves by classification, and the entire system is of Constellan creation.

A Star may only have one Pilot at a time (two is not unheard of but exceedingly rare, and the Star that spawns two may be more prone to going supernova), but can spawn multiple Starlings-- and unlike Pilots, who will live as long as their Star will, these less-powerful and less-attached Starlings tend to flicker out over a few thousand years... or, when they meet their end, turn inwards on themselves and become Dream Pirates.

All Star-beings have the ability to shapeshift, and though no natural sexual characteristics exist for them due to being literally born from the stars, they often take on traits from the races they come into contact with. There are no true “male” or “female” Pilots, but simply Pilots who prefer to look masculine, feminine, or neither.

The Star Pilots held a sort of council that was, ideally, meant to meet every 2000 or so years (sometimes less, sometimes more; the sleepy things are notorious for dreaming through meet-ups and holding make-up councils) in which the current seven oldest Pilots would moderate arguments or pass decisions. A Mentor would be held responsible should a Student do something very drastic, but small punishments for minor infractions were at the discretion of the Mentor. Some were heavier-handed than others, but on the whole the Pilots took a very relaxed stance on things short of rape and murder.

(However, Constellation laws around the protection of Pilots were NOTORIOUSLY strict: grievously harming or killing an influential Star Pilot was punishable by _death by execution by black hole,_ for example.)


End file.
